databases: September 2009 Archives
If you are interested in history or genealogy, please take a look at our current trial to footnote.com.
A couple of things to note: The site is graphic and photo intense, so trying it during the afternoon slow down might not be the best idea. Although footnote.com has been around for a while, this is a growing and evolving resource. They add about 2 million items a month. At this time they only have two federal censuses online, the 1860 and 1930. I was told that most of the federal census records should be available by the end of the year. So far I find searching a little overwhelming and confusing. I'm not sure if that is because of the sheer size of the database, because I don't know what I'm looking for, or if the database is just not well designed or that the coverage is just very sporadic. I plan to spend some more time exploring before formulating an opinion.
Footnote.com also has a social network component:
Thanks!
Evan
Footnote.com combines original historical documents and personal histories, creating a unique historical and genealogical resource. Footnote.com has a vast array of valuable and unique content consisting of well over 50 million historical documents and imagesFrom inside an OWLS library you should have access just by going to http://www.footnote.com . From inside Appleton Public Library or from home, try http://0-www.footnote.com.www.infosoup.org. The trial should last through the rest of September.
A couple of things to note: The site is graphic and photo intense, so trying it during the afternoon slow down might not be the best idea. Although footnote.com has been around for a while, this is a growing and evolving resource. They add about 2 million items a month. At this time they only have two federal censuses online, the 1860 and 1930. I was told that most of the federal census records should be available by the end of the year. So far I find searching a little overwhelming and confusing. I'm not sure if that is because of the sheer size of the database, because I don't know what I'm looking for, or if the database is just not well designed or that the coverage is just very sporadic. I plan to spend some more time exploring before formulating an opinion.
Footnote.com also has a social network component:
Although footnote.com is a much different type of product than HeritageQuest, given our limited budget I think we have to look at footnote.com as competition for HeritageQuest. While HeritageQuest currently has the federal census records, a core collection of family and regional histories, and a large index of genealogy publications, it is also a static product that is no longer being updated. If footnote.com had the census records would it be a better (or more interesting) resource than HeritageQuest? Our contract with HeritageQuest runs through February 2010. Please take a look and let me know what you think.
Footnote.com creates an environment where members can share their content and insights, ranging from major historical events to personal accounts and family histories. Footnote.com, together with its members, is revealing a side of history that few have seen before.
Thanks!
Evan
